Dragon meets White Plum
by amber-chick
Summary: It was a normal day for Seijurou Hiko until he ran into some bandits attacking a young woman who smelled of white plum. Set when Kenshin & Tomoe are in Otsu. My take on how Hiko found out about her. [complete]
1. They meet

Disclaimer: This is a story I thought of using characters that don't belong to me!

This fic is set when Kenshin and Tomoe are hiding in Otsu so it contains very mild spoilers for the OVA. Hope you enjoy and please leave a comment!

It was another bright and sunny day up in the mountains of Kyoto. For Seijurou Hiko it was another day of his life as a hermit. Not that he'd ever admit that he was a hermit, of course. Seijurou Hiko, as the 13th master of Hiten Mitsurugi Style, did have his pride after all. Although ever since his idiot apprentice had left, he'd stayed up on his mountain more often than usual, only going to town to sell his pottery or get supplies. Today was one of those days.

He got up early, and after performing a rigorous kata, he had some breakfast, and with his usual mantle and sword, walked down the mountain to get some supplies, not realizing what lay ahead of him…

((())) **Somewhere near Otsu** ((()))

Kenshin looked at his wife of approximately 3 months. They had been living in a small cottage near Otsu for 3 months, since the Ikedaya Incident in Kyoto. Although they had only known each other for a few months, Kenshin felt quite overprotective of his wife.

Kenshins wife, Tomoe, was beautiful and also very gifted. A friend she'd made in Otsu had invited her to stay for a few days, to teach her daughter a few things either about writing or perhaps plants. Tomoe was quite happy to but Kenshin was worried. Tomoe had convinced him that it would be fine and that he was just being paranoid. So after talking Kenshin (reluctantly) agreed that it would be a good idea, _if _she let him take her to Otsu. Tomoe was expecting this- she never went anywhere without her husband accompanying her- readily agreed. There were some downsides to being married to the infamous Battousai the Manslayer, even if they were just pretending to be simple farmers now.

So now they were walking down to Otsu together, not really talking very much. Not that this was much of a surprise, both Kenshin and Tomoe were quiet by nature, only speaking when necessary. Kenshin was still slightly worried about this whole thing, despite his wife's reassuring words. As an Imperialist assassin of shadows, he was wanted by the Shogunate and he didn't want to put his wife in danger. Or at least in even more danger than she was already in just by being acquainted to him.

They stopped just at the edge of the small town that was Otsu. "I'll see you in a few day, ok anata?" asked Tomoe, turning to face her young, red-haired husband.

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" asked Kenshin. "I can take you the whole way if you like…"

"I'll be fine, if you want to get back home and get some firewood before dark you have to leave now anyway," said Tomoe. "I'll see you in a few day." At that Tomoe turned around and walked into Otsu and Kenshin walked back the way they had come.

((())) **Outskirts of Otsu **((()))

Seijurou Hiko had just finished selling his pottery and had just bought some supplies to last him for a few days when he sensed some threatening ki nearby. He hurried his pace slightly and then even more so when he also sensed a hurt woman there. It was an alley near the outskirts of Otsu, not very far away from his mountain. He turned into the alley and was disgusted by what he saw. A group of about 7 large men had cornered a beautiful young woman and had apparently attacked her. He snorted and drew his sword.

"Who are you? Leave here now," shouted one of the bandits, also drawing his own swords.

"It is you who should leave," said Hiko icily. "To take advantage of one that is weaker than you is a truly awful sin. If you leave now maybe you'll live to regret it." He gave them a chance. He didn't feel that they deserved it, but they were humans after all…

"Please, you're the one that's gonna die!" said the bandit and they all ran towards Hiko, swords raised high, intent on killing him. They, of course, didn't stand a chance against Seijurou Hiko the 13th master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style. He cut them all down, being careful so as to avoid the woman.

When he finished he cleaned his sword with a cloth and then turned to the young woman. She was extremely beautiful and smelled of white plums, which probably explained why the bandits wanted her. She had long black hair and very dark brown eyes. She was pale and wearing a white kimono with a blue obi.

He walked towards her, making a quick assessment of her wounds. She had a deep gash on her leg and also a fair few cuts on her stomach, arms and face. Luckily, nothing life threatening if treated correctly. And he would probably be the one stuck treating her, since she was obviously here alone.

Hiko reached her and said, "Are you ok? I can take you up to my house to treat your wounds." He was expecting her to lose consciousness due to the extent of her injuries and it seemed his assumption was correct. She was beginning to black out.

Tomoe looked up at the large man and inexplicably decided to trust him, though she knew she should be suspicious with the Shogunate and all. But she had no choice. "I'm sorry…koishi," she said softly and then passed out.

Ok so I hope you liked the first chapter of my story! It's my first fic that isn't a one-shot so I hope it wasn't bad… It will probably have about 3-4 chapter and hopefully I'll be able to update quickly if you want me to that is!

Oh and **koishi** means beloved or darling or honey or one of those. I think I spelt it right!

One more thing, I would like to thank akisu-san for telling me how to upload stuff on ff-dot-net.

So please review and if you want me to I'll upload more!

C ya

Amber-chick


	2. Just who is shehe?

Disclaimer: I own a bunch of RK DVDs but I definitely don't own RK…

Oh yeah and this contains mild spoilers for OVA Trust & Betrayal

((())) **Hiko's Cabin**((()))

Seijurou Hiko sighed as he finished cooking the miso soup. Most people perhaps wouldn't believe it, but Seijurou Hiko happened to be a very good cook as well as being a master swordsman. He glanced towards the woman that he had brought to his cabin and treated the day before. If he was being honest, she was the reason he was so confused…

When he had first bought her here he treated her wounds, which were mainly shallow save a deep gash on her leg, he had assumed she was a peasant, the wife of a farmer. Albeit a very beautiful one. However, when he treated a wound on her stomach, a dagger fell out of her obi. And it was no ordinary dagger, beautifully made and obviously well taken care of, though not used very often.

The appearance of this dagger caused Hiko to wonder more about this mysterious woman. She was in the outskirts of a very small town, with a few belongings and a weapon. She was definitely married because he remember her saying just before she fainted _"I'm sorry…koishi." _He had no idea what she might be sorry for in the first place and that annoyed him. At the moment he just kept the dagger in the trunk where he kept all of his idiot apprentices stuff.

Idiot apprentices stuff…Hiko pushed back the feeling of nostalgia that came up at these words. Although…he had to admit that he missed the brat. It had been a year and he hadn't seen or heard hide or hair of Kenshin. _Oh well, I shouldn't be worried about things I can't control. HE was the one that left ME. _That didn't stop him from feeling guilty for feeding his apprentice to the wolves. A soft murmuring drew his attention away from the soup and towards the body in the futon in the middle of the cabin. It was a good thing he still had the thing since neither he nor Kenshin ever used it.

Tomoe moaned slightly as she opened her eyes. Her leg was aching slightly but other than that she felt surprisingly well considering she had just been attacked yesterday…

She looked around the room she was in trying to get her bearings. It was a small cabin and had a whole lot of pottery on the shelves. There was one big trunk in the corner and then in another corner was a large man in a white and red cape cooking something over a fire. All of a sudden she remembered the bandits that had attacked her.

"Where…where am I?" she asked weakly, trying to sit up. The man walked over to her and helped her sit up, putting some cushions behind her to lean on. Tomoe noticed that he was very large, had lots of muscle, ad black hair and dark hazel eyes. "Thank you…" she murmured.

"Hmph. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Not to bad, considering. Is this your home?" Tomoe asked, still trying to get information. It would be annoying if she got caught by the Shogunate now…and if Kenshin got caught…she didn't even want to think about the consequences.

"You're at my cabin," he informed her. Then he passed her a bowl of soup and said, "Here, are you hungry?"

"Thank you," she murmured. "So you live in Otsu?"

"No." said Hiko, getting his own bowl of soup and sitting across from her. Then he watched her thoughtfully when he noticed that her eyes had widened when she heard that they were no longer in Otsu.

When he told her that Tomoe was no longer in Otsu, she nearly choked. Lucky for her, her mask remained intact, so she thought he hadn't noticed. (To bad for her that it was the 13th master of Hiten Mitsurugi Style that she was up against). If they weren't in Otsu, then where were they? Not…Kyoto? _Oh no, I hope that we aren't in Kyoto…_

"So are we in Kyoto?" she managed to choke out, worried about what the answer may be.

Hiko raised his eyebrow at the question. The more he found out about this woman, the more curious he became. The way she spoke of Kyoto proved that she had bad memories of the place, but what would an ordinary farmer's wife be doing in Kyoto in the first place?

"No, we're on my mountain." Hiko answered.

"Your mountain?" asked Tomoe.

"Yes. It's between Kyoto and Otsu. Closer to Kyoto, though," he decided to elaborate since she obviously wanted more information. "I assume you live in Otsu with your husband, Miss…?"

"Oh, I apologize for my rudeness. I am Tomoe," she answered, but decided to leave out her last name, in case he was sided with the Shogunate. "And you are…?"

"Seijurou Hiko the 13th," he answered simply.

"Well, I apologize for the inconvenience, Hiko-san," said Tomoe, deciding not ask about what the '13' meant. "And I thank you for helping me against those men." She was trying to find a way to find out his loyalties without being obvious.

"Please they were nothing. What were you doing in an alleyway on your own anyway Tomoe-san?" he asked.

"I was supposed to go and stay with another woman in Otsu. She will be worried. I hope she doesn't inform my husband…" she said, the last part mainly to herself.

Hiko once again raised his eyebrows at the last part about not wanting her husband to know. He suspected that there was more to her story. Perhaps she was running away from her husband? It would explain her hesitancy to divulge her last name.

He decided to just be blunt. "Are you running away from your husband?"

Tomoe looked up at him, surprised. "No! Of course not."

"So why don't you want your husband to know?" he asked, wanting to get more answers about this mysterious woman.

"My husband is very overprotective. I just don't want him to worry," she answered.

"I see. Perhaps I can write him a letter, what is his name?" asked Hiko.

Tomoe knew that she really shouldn't divulge this kind of information to a man she barely knew. Even if he didn't side with the Shogunate, there were many that wished harm on Kenshin. So she decided to dodge that question for now.

"Oh no, don't worry about a letter. My husband and I live on our own, outside of Otsu and only go into town to buy supplies or sell medicine," she answered, skillfully dodging the second question.

"Selling medicine?" asked Hiko, curious.

"Yes, my husband is an apothecary. We also grow some plants," she answered.

"I see…" said Hiko. Well that explained why she seemed to have such a good vocabulary and was so much more polite than normal farmers, she and her husband must at least be slightly educated to be able to make medicine. However it still didn't explain why she carried a dagger. And she also seemed quite young to be married…

Meanwhile Tomoe had her own questions. This man was obviously a skilled swordsman, perhaps nearly as skilled as Kenshin to be able to kill those bandits so easily. Yet if he was such a skilled swordsman, why did he live in a secluded cabin up on a mountain? All of the pottery, did that mean he was a potter? But why would a swordsman become a potter? She was just as confused about Hiko as Hiko was about her.

She decided to ask him. "Are you a potter?"

"Yes."

"If you don't mind my asking why such a strong swordsman would live up on a secluded mountain when they're skills may be needed in the war that is going on?" she said calmly, looking at Hiko with her deep brown eyes.

She was perceptive and not afraid to speak her mind. Reminded him slightly of a certain red-head. Speaking of that red-head… "I am a free sword. I will not wield my weapon for either side of this political game," he answered shortly, talking about the war brought back bad memories of his fight with Kenshin.

"I see…" said Tomoe. So Hiko didn't side with the Shogunate. That at least was a relief. But he also wasn't an Imperialist. However she doubted that he would sell her out to the Shogunate. But she was still worried about Kenshin. She hoped he didn't find out what happened to her.

"You should rest now," Hiko told her. He didn't have nearly as much information as he wanted, but somehow he doubted he would get much more. He didn't know whether she avoided his questions on purpose or by accident, but it was annoying.

"Are you sure, I don't wish to intrude, surely you have a family or something," said Tomoe, not wanting to make herself a burden.

"I live on my own. I have no family," said Hiko. _Not since Kenshin left anyway… _"At the moment the most important thing is for you to get better and return to your own family."

"I see," said Tomoe simply, lying down slowly on the futon so as not to aggravate her injuries. Then a thought struck her. She was lying on a futon but there was another futon in the corner. She doubted that Hiko had 2 futons for his own use, so that meant that he did have some kind of family. But who?

So, up in the cabin in the mountains, two people, one trying to sleep and the other clearing up, were both thinking the same thing…_Just who is she/he?_

((())) **Author Notes **((()))

Hey! Slightly longer chapter this time! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I tried my best to get it out quickly! I hope that you're enjoying this story so far.

Thank you soooooo much to **akisu-san **and **kenji's girl **for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Oh and I just wanted to ask…does anyone want me to add the Shinsengumi (Saito and Okita) to this story? If you do then please let me know!

So please review and I'll upload more soon!


	3. Family & a surprise

Disclaimer: Ok, I'm beginning to get what's so annoying about saying this multiple times…me no own RK!

Author Notes at the end! Oh and this story contains mild spoilers for the OVA, Trust & Betrayal.

((())) **Hiko's Cabin** ((()))

It had been about 3 days since he had brought the woman – Tomoe – back from Otsu. She had healed quite well, save for a fever which had developed on the second day. Luckily he was quite experienced with dealing with fevers since Kenshin seemed to get quite a lot of them. The baka always hid whenever he was sick or injured which made him worse and gave him a fever. Hiko snorted thinking about it. Baka deshi.

Yet in those three days he hadn't learnt anything about her. All he really knew was that she was married to an apothecary/farmer and lived in Otsu. And had bad memories of Kyoto and carried a dagger. Considering the fact that he was the 13th master of Hiten Mitsurugi, this was just plain embarrassing. He was supposed to be good at reading people damn it! This was something he'd expect that idiot apprentice of his to do.

Now Hiko wasn't the only one that was curious. Tomoe was still trying to figure out why he had two futons. And he also seemed to be quite experienced in dealing with fevers. Perhaps he had a child? But to have a child would mean he had to be married and she couldn't see any 'womanly' touch in this cabin. Hiko seemed to go out for an hour or two every day; she assumed it was to train. Even Kenshin, back in Kyoto, trained every day, but in Otsu he neglected it, probably because of some bad memories.

So on this particular day she decided to take out her diary and write about what had happened. She wrote about Hiko, her suspicions about his supposed 'son' or family member, her worries about Kenshin finding out about her and getting worried, her confusion about who Hiko was and exactly _why _he seemed so arrogant all the time and generally everything that was on her mind at the time. After several days of only talking to Hiko (and only about his 'superior genius skills'), all of it came out in the form of hiragana and kanji in her little black diary. She had been so enthralled that she hadn't even noticed when Hiko entered the cabin. That was another thing that annoyed her about him; he was as quiet as a cat, surprising for such a large man.

As Tomoe thought, Hiko usually went out every day to train. Not just swordsmanship but also to meditate. He had been doing that more and more lately, since before that all his time had been taking up with teaching his idiot student Hiten Mitsurugi. When he entered, he was surprised to find her writing. He was further surprised when he looked closer and saw that she wrote beautifully, much more so than Kenshin ever had…he could swear that idiot couldn't write neatly to save his life. This once again stirred up that damned curiosity again. After a while he had assumed that perhaps the dagger was an heirloom and she carried around protection but now…it was obvious that she was well educated, more so than even Kenshin, which was saying a lot since the red-head had been educated by _himself _after all.

"You write beautifully," said Hiko out loud from before. Normally he wasn't one to compliment anyone but he decided that this was the only way to get any information out of her. The woman gasped and instinctively slammed her diary shut. "I surprised you," said Hiko with his trademark smirk.

"Yes. I think you may move more quietly than my husband, which is saying a lot," said Tomoe, placing her hand over her heart so as to still it. You'd think that after living with Kenshin, who left at all hours of the night, she'd be used to this kind of thing.

"How so?" asked Hiko, taking the opportunity. He often wasn't one to ask questions but this was the first time the woman mentioned her husband and he had every intention of getting more information about him. _Nobody _outsmarted the great Seijurou Hiko the 13th.

Tomoe was slightly startled by the question but decided to answer – with an abridged version of course. "Back in our home town people called him a ghost because he was so quiet," she said, deciding to call him a ghost rather than a demon. She had always hated that label anyway.

"Really…" he drawled. "Well I doubt he could surpass my skills," he said arrogantly. Tomoe, who by now was used to his arrogant manner, merely nodded in return. Hiko was definitely a skilled swordsman but although she had only ever seen Kenshin in action once, she knew from things that Katsura and Okami-san said that Kenshin was one of the best swordsman in Japan. His ability to be silent and 'appear' from the shadows was what first made him famous. She also wondered what sword-style he used. But she knew as both the wife and daughter of a samurai that most people did not reveal what they used. There were about two people currently alive who knew the exact name of the sword-style Kenshin used, not including himself. She, of course, was one of them and the other was Katsura.

(A/N Don't forget that she doesn't know about Hiko yet).

Hiko frowned as she got up to put her diary away. The way she answered seemed odd. For one thing she had said home-town. He assumed that this meant that she and her husband did not originate from Otsu. Perhaps they were from Kyoto? That might explain her dislike of the place, but why would she dislike her home town? And why would she leave it anyway? Unless…Tomoe – the woman – had obviously been well educated. Her husband knew how to be quiet as a ghost. To be able to truly sneak up on people then he would have to be able to mask his ki. Maybe – just maybe – they were samurai. It would explain on of her first questions about the war and what side he was on and also why she had bad memories of Kyoto. His eyes widened when he realized something else she – or her husband at the very least – might have information about Kenshin. He would never admit it to anyone, least of all a certain red-head – but he did actually care about what happened to the boy who had become like a son to him.

A loud knock on the door brought both people in the cabin out of their musings quite abruptly. Hiko snorted and got up, wondering who on earth would come to his mountain at this time. Or any time at all for that matter. He opened the door and saw that it was Sho, an old acquaintance of his. Sho walked into the cabin not bothering to wait for the invitation that wouldn't come anyway.

He looked at Tomoe and raised an eyebrow. "Well, well Hiko it seems that perhaps you've finally met a woman," he said good naturedly.

"Shut up Sho, she's a woman I met and helped her by beating a few bandits. She was hurt so I brought her here so she could heal," said Hiko firmly.

Sho laughed and said, "Aw, come on Hiko this is the first person that you've been with since that student of yours left. Cant blame me for having some fun."

"Yes I can, besides Tomoe-san is married."

"First name basis now are we?" asked Sho, teasing.

Hiko would have made a retort but there was no way he would admit that he didn't know the woman's last name. So he scowled and asked the man "Did you come here for any good reason?"

Tomoe, meanwhile, was finding the exchange quite amusing. She was also pleased because she got the answer to one of her questions. _So that spare futon must belong to this student of his. It would also explain how he got so good at taking care of fevers. _She decided to make some dinner and leave the two of them alone however Sho's next words made her change her mind and tune in to their conversation.

"Did you hear about that Battousai the Manslayer?"

Hiko frowned at that. At first he had had no interest in this Battousai but then he heard that the so-called demon had red hair. He wasn't completely sure that it was his idiot apprentice but it seemed that it was. After all how many people had long red hair and seemingly inhuman sword skills? "What about him?" he asked casually. Sho had no idea that Battousai might actually be Hiko's student all he knew was that Hiko was interested in him so when he could, Sho brought him information.

"Apparently Battousai had disappeared into thin air. Some people are saying that he killed in the Ikedaya massacre a few months ago, but most people seem to think that he's left Kyoto. For how long? Nobody knows," said Sho.

"Who thinks that he's left Kyoto?" Hiko knew his student better than anybody. Kenshin would never leave and back out on his word. And he'd better not have let himself get killed by some half-assed swordsman at Ikedaya.

"The Shinsengumi. I've heard that they're conducting searches in a whole lot of places. Apparently they want to flush out all of the rebels and restore peace in Japan. The hypocrites," said Sho with a snort. Hiko was spared from answering by Tomoe. At the mention of the Shinsengumi, Tomoe's heart had gone cold. When Sho finished speaking she couldn't help but let go of the bowl, which then crashed to the floor. She was pale and shaking.

"Oy, is something wrong," asked Sho, concerned.

"No, I'm all right, I just need to sit down, that's all," said Tomoe, trying to regain her composure. She doubted – and hoped – that they didn't go all the way to Otsu but as for this mountain…

"Do you think the Shinsengumi will come here," asked Hiko. The question was directed at Sho while he helped Tomoe to the futon.

"Actually I'm certain of it. They'll probably be here tomorrow," answered Sho. When she heard this, coupled with the gash she had just reopened in her leg when she had been on the verge of collapsing, Tomoe fainted but luckily Hiko used his highly developed skills to catch her before she hit the ground.

"I should probably go," said Sho, for he had a phobia of blood. "I just wanted to let you know about the Shinsengumi." With these parting words, Sho left the cabin with a careless wave behind him.

Hiko nodded and helped Tomoe onto the futon. To tell the truth he was surprised by her reaction. Why would she be so afraid of the Shinsengumi? Well, he smiled grimly to himself, he'd most likely find out tomorrow wouldn't he?

((())) **Authors Notes **((()))

Hey I hope you guys don't mind too much that I took slightly longer to update coz I swear I have a reason! Its just that I had a really big algebra test (which, thank goodness, I got a 98 on it) and then I've got a really big Indo test on Monday so wish me luck!

But I have good news to! I _finally _got my OVAs back _and _I read the Jinchuu/Remembrance arc so my Tomoe muse is back in full swing!

Oh and 1 more thing Hiko isn't being heartless, he doesn't think that Tomoe is in any danger or anything. So yes, the Shinsengumi are coming, Hiko tries to figure out Tomoe's secret but not yet! Soz guys you'll have to wait! Next chapter a certain red-head is trying to figure out where his wife disappeared to…

AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO **akisu-san, kenji's girl,** **Kristy-chan, MikaylaMae, ****TeZukAb0ch0u and starfruit-22! **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Plz continue reading and drop me another review! I truly do appreciate it (to tell the truth if it weren't for the reviews I probably would've posted on Sat…)

So anyways hope you're enjoying so far, plz drop me a review! And now its midnight and I have school tomorrow so I'll see you soon!

Amber-chick ;-)


	4. Where is my wife?

Disclaimer: Yeah, obviously I don't own rurouni Kenshin (which I think he's kind of glad about considering that I've just separated him from his wife)

OK, mild spoilers for OVA Trust & Betrayal!

((()))** Kenshin & Tomoe's cabin, Otsu **((()))

_It's been 4 days. I hope nothings happened to her _thought Kenshin as he got up from the garden. Of course Tomoe hadn't exactly told him how long she'd be gone, but that didn't stop him from worrying. And he was bored. He'd never admit it to anyone but he'd never actually been alone for longer than a few hours in his whole life. Emotionally, yes. Since he joined the Imperialists he'd always felt alone but he'd also always been surrounded by people. From when he was born to when he was 6 he had his parents. After that it was the slave traders. Then he met Hiko. Kenshin normally emotionless face twisted into a scowl at the thought. It would have been easier if he _hadn't _been with Hiko all the time. It would have spared him the humiliation. He shuddered just thinking about it.

Anyway after training he'd been in Kyoto where, once again he'd felt alone he was usually among the crowds since it would make him harder to recognize. And now, of course, he was living with Tomoe. Living with her up in a cabin and pretending to be farmers brought back memories of when he was young. Not many, since his parents had died when he was six, but still more than he'd ever remembered before. Probably courtesy of Hiko's training.

Now, he was sick of being on his own all the time. He was so bored that he'd even gotten his daisho out and practiced a bit, the first time since leaving Kyoto. He decided to go to Otsu and find out what was taking her so long. After all 3 days is a few days, right? He hoped because although Tomoe wasn't one to complain, she wouldn't be happy if he interrupted her in the middle of her 'lessons'.

So that morning, after eating (and making a mental note to get Tomoe to teach him how to cook since everything he tried didn't seem to turn out so well), he got ready to leave. He paused at the doorway, trying to decide whether to take his daisho. If something was wrong, it would be useful to have them but could he really afford to have the whole town seeing him with the swords of a samurai? In the end he decided to take just his katana, leave the wakizashi and if anyone asked just say it was a gift from someone. Ok, so he was making excuses. But he was justified wasn't he? I mean half of Kyoto wanted to kill him!

If Tomoe were here, then she'd convince him to leave them, but she wasn't so he went by his normal paranoid thoughts and took them. (A good thing as it happened…)

So he went down to Otsu and started his search by asking what the name of Kari's mother was. (Kari was the girl Tomoe was supposed to teach)

"Hmm, I believe her name is Akane…," said one of the merchants. Kenshin winced. _Why, of all the names in Japan, did it have to be one of theirs, _he thought darkly, the name springing forth a lot of old memories.

((())) **Flashback **((()))

_The smell of death was in the air, and the entire ground was covered in blood. Between the blood stood dozens of hand-crafted crosses, and right in the middle of this clearing were 3 stones, and next to them stood a small red-haired boy and a tall, well-muscled swordsman in a white and red cape. _

"_What are these stones for?" asked Hiko._

"_Akane-san, Sakura-san and Kasumi-san. They were taken from their families because of debts. I only met them the day before, but I was the only boy and we didn't have any parents. I thought even if it cost me my life, I had to protect them. But instead they protected me. So I tried to find good rocks for them. But these stones were all I could find."_

_Hiko pours sake onto the stones._

((())) **End Flashback **((()))

That was the very first day of his life as a swordsman. A life built on those three graves. Even though he understood that they were trying to protect him, he still felt guilty whenever he thought about it. If only he could have protected them. But he couldn't dwell on the past. He would just have try not to think about it; otherwise he wouldn't be able to find Tomoe.

He kept walking, remembering that there was another merchant further up the road that knew everyone that lived in Otsu and where they lived. However his plan was interrupted in the form of a dozen six-year-olds.

One of them, a young girl went up to Kenshin and said, "Excuse me, mister?" Kenshin sighed, knowing that considering that he had no proof that Tomoe was gone he really should humour the girl, so he bent down to her level and said, "Did you need something?"

The little girl just stared at him and a moment later Kenshin found out why. About ten young boys and girls all ran up to him and grabbed his arms and started tugging on them. Then the last young boy walked up to him and started tugging on Kenshin's bright red locks. He groaned and said, "Can you please let go of me, I have to find my…" But the kids wouldn't let him finish his sentence.

"We wanna play with pretty fox-tail hair!" said the girl. And then she jumped on Kenshin's lap and also started tugging on his hair. Not for the first time, Kenshin cursed his unusual red hair. All it ever did was get him in trouble. He stood up carefully, but unfortunately forgot about the two kids currently tugging on his hair. The girl reacted quickly, throwing her arms around Kenshin and holding on tightly. The boy, however, did not have such quick reflexes and instead kept gripping the hair. He also wrapped his legs around Kenshin's stomach but most of his weight was on the fire red hair. And his head felt like it was on fire.

He winced, reaching up to try and disentangle the kids hand from his hair but it didn't work and the other kids decided to take advantage of his preoccupied state and pushed him right at the knees, causing him to fall on the ground, flat on his face. The rest of the kids took the advantage to sit on his back and then continued playing with his hair as though nothing had happened.

Kenshin groaned as he lifted his head. _All this just to play with my hair! _He though incredulously. _This is just wonderful. I'm one of the best damned swordsmen in the world and I get outsmarted by a bunch of kids!_

_A bunch of strong and determined kids _he amended slightly, wincing at a particularly strong tug. "Ok kids, play times over, now let me go!" he said as calmly as he could.

"Shan't" said the kids stubbornly. _Wouldn't it just be wonderful if Tomoe walked around the corner right now _he thought sarcastically to himself. _At the moment I'm just glad that Hikos not here. He'd never let me hear the end of it. _

"Come on kids, I've really got to go," he said groaning from the stress on both his back and his hair, both courtesy of the kids. "Don't you have something else to do?"

"Nope. Somebody was supposed to come and teach me stuff but she never came, so now I've got nothing better to do except play with fox tail hair," answered the girl.

Kenshin insides froze as the girls words registered, however the mask he had developed as a shadow assassin stayed true, betraying none of his rising panic. "Is your name Kari?" he asked calmly, inside begging her to answer no.

"Um, yes it is, how did you know?" she asked him, surprised.

Kenshin groaned and added, just to make sure, "And is your mother's name Akan-OW-e?" The OW came from someone giving his hair an almighty tug. He craned his neck around as he waited for Kari's answer. To his horror one of the girls was trying to plait his hair. The legendary Himura the Battousai…_in plaits_! _Ok now I'm really glad that Masters not here! _He thought to himself.

"Yes, my mothers name is Akane, she met a woman called Tomoe-san and asked her to teach me some stuff but she never came to our house," said Kari, unknowingly causing Kenshin's panic to escalate.

"Ok, guys let go of me _now _because I really have to find my wife," said Kenshin through gritted teeth. It took all of his legendary willpower to not start yelling at the brats.

"Hiroshi! What on earth are you doing!" yelled a horrified voice. Everyone turned to see a young woman running towards Kenshin and his 'captors'. "Let him go at once," she snapped at them. Then to Kenshin she added, "I'm so sorry about them, I don't know _what _was going through their heads. Are you all right?"

Once again Kenshin was using all of his legendary willpower but this time it was so as not to blush. "Yes, I'm all right now if you'll excuse me, I have to go," he said turning around and walking quickly towards the outskirts of town. _What would the Shinsengumi think, knowing that the man that they've been hunting for the last year has just been 'caught' by a bunch of kids and had to be rescued by their mother! _

He suddenly stopped in front of an alleyway, a familiar smell assaulting him. The smell of blood and death. Back in Kyoto, this smell wouldn't surprise him; after all not a day went by that there _hadn't _been a murder and the Shogunate randomly slaying those they suspected of being a patriots were practically a common occurrence in the streets. However, here in Otsu…murder was practically unheard of. _The Shogunate? _He wondered, the very thought of them finding Tomoe made his blood run cold.

He cautiously walked into the alleyway, thanking Kami-sama that not many people came this way which meant that the bodies had not been seen as of yet. He sighed in relief when he saw that the bodies belonged to a group of bandits and not a single young woman was there. However he frowned when he noticed something else.

Over by the wall, there were a few strands of black hair stuck in the wall. He walked over and leaned next to it and took the hair in his hand. He thought deeply for a few moments, trying to figure out whether it could be Tomoe's or not. His mind was made up for him when he noticed one more thing. Lower down from the wall, was a piece of blue material. _Tomoe's obi _he thought grimly.

_Well at least she's not dead, _he thought to himself, for he couldn't see any blood near this area. _But she could be a prisoner, which could be worse._

He turned around to closer inspect the bodies, perhaps get a clue to what kind of person could have done this. What he noticed got past even his emotionless mask and made him show pure surprise. _This…this was done by the Hiten Mitsurugi Style! But I didn't do it which must mean that…_Kenshin blinked in surprise when he realised that his _master _of all people had found and helped his wife. But then they widened when he realised something.

_She must be hurt! Otherwise Master would just leave her be. But if she's hurt then…_Kenshin groaned when he realised that he would have to go up that damned mountain again. _At least she's safe _he thought as he turned away from the alley to the direction of the mountain Hiko had been living on for years. However the thought didn't quite comfort him knowing that he'd have to face the man that he'd only just abandoned last year. And the fact that this particular mans greatest joy in life was embarrassing and teasing a Kenshin…

Meanwhile in Kyoto, the captains of the 1st and 3rd troops of the Shinsengumi were getting ready to go up that same mountain…

((())) **Authors Notes **((()))

So, what did you think of this chapter? I hope you liked our favourite red-heads search. I couldn't help but add the kids. I though it was funny… but please, let me know what you think!

Oh, and I'm glad that everyone liked Sho! Hiko's still grumbling about last chapter... Lol ;-)

Thank you very much to my reviewers! I hope this chapter is satisfactory! Please, drop me another comment!

Thanks to: **MikaylaMae, inuwolf04, FireSenshi2, TeZukAb0ch0u, starfruit-22, TrisakAminawn, akisu-san, Misao Oneill **(thanx for the good luck wishes!), **DragonWolfStar and korrd!** You guys rock!

Oh and just so you know, I do have school in July, coz I live in Australia and it's winter so its only 3rd term! So yeah I do have school unfortunately. But I promise to update soon, 3-4 days max!

So hope your enjoying this so far and please drop me a review!


	5. The Shinsengumi!

Disclaimer: Honestly, I'm sick of saying this already! I don't own Rurouni Kenshin! He belongs to Watsuki-sama and some other people.

This contains mild spoilers for the OVA Trust and Betrayal. Author Notes at the end. Oh, and one more thing: this alternates between Hiko & Tomoe, Saito & Okita and Kenshin.

((())) **Going up Hiko's mountain – The Shinsengumi **((()))

"You seem worried about something, Saito," said Souji Okita, leader of the first squad of the Shinsengumi. He was, of course, talking to an old friend of his, Hajime Saito leader of the third squad of the Shinsengumi.

Saito snorted. "Please it's not like anyone up on this damned mountain will actually be able to match our skills. Or, come to think of it, give us any information about the 'patriots'" said Saito, saying the word 'patriots mockingly.

Okita laughed and responded, "So you don't believe the rumours?" Okita was referring to something that an old man that lived near here had told them. The man had said that up on the mountain lived a 'mad hermit monk in love with sake and skilled with a blade'. He'd also mentioned that this 'swordsman' had a student that he taught his unique sword style to.

Saito snorted just thinking about it. "No I don't believe it. It's completely ridiculous. A mad hermit monk in love with sake? I mean really Okita; you can't tell me that you believe that nonsense."

Okita laughed and said, "Oh I'm sure you're right about the 'mad hermit monk in love with sake' bit _but_," now Okita sobered. "He was at least telling the truth about the student. Several other sources confirmed that a young boy lives up here."

"Although," he added as an afterthought, "you'd probably have to be a 'mad hermit monk' to willingly live here!" Saito and Okita were currently climbing the mountain. And it was hard, especially considering that both of them had been born and raised in the city. The closest they'd ever come to this kind of thing was jumping over rooftops, which when you thought about it, really wasn't all that similar.

"Hn. Why couldn't one of the squad members do this," asked Saito, annoyed. He prided himself on being in perfect condition at all times but this was just ridiculous! _When I get back to Kyoto, I am definitely going to get some more training done! What if I get attacked on a mountain?_

Okita chose his next words carefully. He, like Saito, was tired and annoyed about having to climb the mountain but it was slightly worse for him because his tuberculosis was already in effect and he tired easier than he used to. In Kyoto, it made no difference but having to strain himself here was annoying to say the least.

"To tell the truth" began Okita carefully, "I believe their afraid of this 'mad hermit' and his supposed strong 'unique style'."

Saito choked and then lowered his eyes in a menacing glare. "Those idiots! That's just ridiculous! When we get back to Kyoto I'll work them so hard that they'll wish they'd never heard of swordsmanship!" Okita sweatdropped as Saito rambled on menacingly. This was exactly what he was afraid of happening.

"Well, we have to understand their reasons," said Okita fairly, although he too was surprised by his squad's reluctance. "After all the last person who used a strong 'unique style' was Battousai the Manslayer. And I don't have to tell you how that turned out," he said, the last part darkly.

"Battousai is one of a kind! Just because _he _happens to use a unique style that, as an added bonus, is a strong style doesn't mean that _everyone _who uses a so-called unique style is strong. I mean do you honestly believe that _everyone _that has a unique style happens to include god-like speed and inhuman strength," said Saito, now even more annoyed.

Okita sweatdropped again. _Well so much for trying to stop his rambling. I don't want to be in the squads shoes when we get back. But I'm sure that he's right, after all what are the chances of us running into _two _inhumanly skilled swordsmen in the same year? Or, for that matter, the same lifetime? _

If they only knew…

((())) **Bottom of Hiko's mountain – Kenshin **((()))

Kenshin had been jogging nonstop from Otsu. Lucky for him, the mountain wasn't actually all that far from the town. And he didn't have to run back to their cabin to get his sword. He was slightly annoyed that he didn't have his wakizashi but he hadn't wanted to waste time going to get it. His katana would have to do. It was a good thing that he'd finally decided to bring it. But that was where his luck ran out.

He rounded the corner and then froze, turned around and then quietly made himself disappear in the trees. Then he turned to face the sight that had shocked. The entire 1st and 3rd squads of the Shinsengumi.

He snuck through the trees, this act bringing back memories of when he was young and used to try and hide from his master. Not that different really, except that this time he was hiding from people that wanted his blood.

"How much longer do you think Captain Saito and Captain Okita will be?" asked one of the men.

"I dunno. Probably not long though. Other than that mad hermit monk and his kid, there's nothing of interest up there," answered his comrade, completely unaware of the fact that he was being watched by a pair of cold blue eyes.

(I'm pretty sure that Kenshin's eyes only turn amber after Tomoe's death, but if I'm wrong, forgive me!)

Kenshin, who was hidden in the shadows, blinked in surprise and had to stop himself from laughing at the mans descriptions of Hiko. _I pity the person who says that to Masters face. Hang on a second did they say Saito and Okita? Kuso! Damn those wolves! _He thought, trying to calm himself. If he didn't have complete control of his emotions then he'd be easy prey for those wolves.

He turned around and delved into the forest. Taking the path was impossible; otherwise he'd be sure to run into Saito and Okita sooner or later. However he did have one advantage over the two swordsmen. While they may have been called wolves, they were not used to this terrain. Kenshin, on the other hand, had been raised here. This was what he was good at. He smiled grimly to himself and started up the mountain, taking the shortest way possible while still staying away from the pathway.

Since they were most likely quite far ahead of them, he probably wouldn't be able to catch up before they reached the cabin. But he should be able to get there and if need be, diffuse any situation that may arise. He hoped not, as he really didn't want to bother his master, but if Tomoe was in any danger…

((())) **Hiko's cabin **((()))

Tomoe was fiddling with her blanket. Normally she was to calm and sophisticated to do things like that, but today she made an exception. She had only come around late the night before, and Hiko had given her some medicine, to help her get some sleep and to calm her down.

It had worked for the night, but in the morning she was all nerves again. Lucky for her, the mask she had worn for so long stayed true and the only thing that showed she was anxious was her fiddling.

She was lying on the futon, with a few pillows against the wall which she was leaning up against. It was comfortable, and allowed her to eat and read, but not to write in her diary which was what she usually did to diffuse her stress. _Maybe I should get Kenshin to teach me how to meditate _she mused, thinking about her red-haired husband.

While it was true that hardly anything surprised Kenshin, things that did were usually quite big. So when he was surprised he meditated. He always made sure he had complete control over his emotions at all times. Not just in expression but also in spirit. She assumed it was a swordsmen thing, since Hiko, Katsura and all the other skilled swordsmen that she met rarely showed their emotions.

Hiko was currently sitting outside, sipping sake. He had sensed several swordsmen's ki a while ago and he assumed they belonged to the Shinsengumi. From what he could tell, only two of them were making their way up his mountain. Now he was just trying to decide whether to tell the women that they were coming.

After thinking more about his theory of her and her husband being samurai, the more he thought he was right. It would explain her education, her dagger, her dislike of Kyoto, why she was in Kyoto in the first place and her polite manners. Something else that he'd gathered from the last few days was that she – or her husband – were Imperialists. Otherwise, why would she be so afraid of the Shinsengumi?

Well, those damn wolves could search all they wanted; they weren't getting any information off him! He felt quite protective of the woman, especially know that he knew that she may have information about his idiot apprentice. And there was no way he'd risk his apprentices' welfare. Although…maybe he could 'let slip' some stories. Like the time Kenshin ate those mushrooms…Hiko smirked at the thought. None of them would probably realize that he was talking about the infamous Battousai the Manslayer, but that didn't make it any less amusing.

Hiko's eyes narrowed when he sensed something else. Another ki, making its way up his mountain. Somehow, it was almost halfway up! _Another skilled swordsman, _thought Hiko grimly. He wasn't with the Shinsengumi, otherwise he would've joined with the other two but that was all he could figure out just from his ki.

The only other thing he knew was that he was skilled. Incredibly so, if he managed to hide his ki long enough from Hiko to get halfway up and still managed to hide it enough so that Hiko couldn't make any predictions.

_Could it be a fight he's after?_ wondered Hiko. There was no doubt in his mind that he could beat that swordsmen, he was after all, a Hiten Mitsurugi master but a fight may result in the Shinsengumi recognizing his techniques. He did not want to constantly get hounded by those crooked politicians. Maybe, if he was lucky, the mysterious swordsmen would wait until the Shinsengumi left before attacking. _If_ that was his plan.

He stood up and, with his cloak floating behind him, he entered his cabin, waiting for his 'guests'.

((())) **Saito and Okita **((()))

"Finally," said Saito, as smoke from a cabin rose up a few metres away from them. Okita only nodded, pleased that they were finally there but wary of whoever they might meet in this cabin. Although he didn't believe the rumours, he was trained to be careful of everything and this was no exception.

"Who wants to knock?" asked Okita. Saito only looked at him, surprised. Okita smirked and said, "Saito, you can't always just run in and knock the door down! We're here to ask questions, no attacking and no drawing your sword. Got it?"

Saito growled. Not only was he forced to climb this damned mountain but now he wasn't even allowed to use his precious sword! This just plain wasn't fair! When he got back to Kyoto he was going to work his squad so hard…

Saito's vindictive rambling was cut short by the two of them walking into a small clearing in front of a cabin. The two swordsmen walked up to the cabin and, since Saito was _not _one to politely knock on doors, Okita knocked 3 times.

((())) **Hiko's cabin **((()))

Tomoe looked up sharply when Hiko entered the cabin but relaxed when she saw that he was alone. Hiko sat down across from her and drank his sake like he had not a care in the world. _Well of course he doesn't mind! _She scolded herself. _After all, the Shinsengumi isn't after his blood and he doesn't have to worry about them finding Kenshin either. _She was, of course, wrong on both counts.

"They'll be here soon," said Hiko. He finally decided to just tell her, otherwise she would just get really anxious when they did arrive and that would make them suspicious. Best to just get rid of them as quickly as possible.

Tomoe stiffened at his words. Briefly, she wondered how he knew, but then realized that if he really was a skilled swordsman then it would be an ability he would have mastered. Kenshin always seemed to know where everyone was at all times as well. Something to do with ki.

She was taking deep breaths to calm herself, being nervous in front of the Shinsengumi would just make them suspicious, when three knocks sounded on the door.

Hiko stood, drew himself up to his full impressive height and opened the door.

((())) **The mountain – Kenshin **((()))

Kenshin was going up the mountain as quickly as he could, which was quite fast considering that it was a very thick forest. He was following Saito and Okita using ki, it seemed that they didn't think anyone would be able to sense them. He wondered briefly what they would do if they knew that the 'mad hermit monk' was actually the best swordsman in Japan if not the world. But he stiffened when he sensed another ki to his right.

He cursed himself for not sensing it sooner and casually slowed down to a brisk walk and laid a hand on his katana. Although to most people it would seem that he hadn't a care in the world (if they didn't see the sword), his brain was in fact spouting off hundreds of ideas. He couldn't use the Hiten, Saito and Okita knew the techniques and would automatically know whose handiwork it was. But what other attack could he use. This was the thought he was pondering on when the squad member attacked.

Kenshin drew his blade with his customary god-like speed and parried the blow. He skidded over to the tree and watched his opponent, sizing him up.

The man, who was called Hadojima, stopped and also turned around, holding his blade in front of him. What he saw made his blood freeze. At first glance, it was only a boy but then Hadojima noticed the long red hair swaying in the breeze and narrowed blue eyes, promising a swift, silent death. "Battousai…the…Manslayer," he said under his breath.

For what seemed like the hundredth time today, Kenshin cursed his hair. Although not many people knew of his physical description yet, the more advanced members of the Shinsengumi did and this was apparently one of them.

Kenshin quickly contemplated several forms of attack and decided to use a parallel thrust technique, as similar to the Shinsengumi's Hirazuka as he could make it. This would divert suspicion away from himself, as he was known for using Battoujuttsu, not parallel sword thrusts.

Hadojima ran towards Kenshin with his sword in front of him, but Kenshin easily dodged. He spun around and his katana sliced through the man as though he were soft as a feather. Kenshin then quickly jumped onto one of the lower branches so as not to get any blood on him. He quickly wiped his blade with a cloth he always kept with him.

Then, sheathing his blade, he cast out his senses, making sure that nobody else was following him and then when he was satisfied he proceeded up the mountain, realizing grimly that while he was fighting, Saito and Okita had reached the cabin.

((())) **Hiko's cabin **((()))

Okita blinked in surprise at the tall and extremely well muscled man that answered his knock. Although Saito didn't show anything he, to was surprised.

Hiko smirked at the two surprised Shinsengumi captains. "What do you want?" he asked in his typically curt manner.

Saito bristled at being treated like that but Okita shot his friend a warning glance and said to the man pleasantly, "We're from the Shinsengumi. I'm sure you've heard about the unrest in Kyoto and we're trying to catch the perpetrators. If you don't mind answering a few questions for us."

"Hmph," said Hiko, but stepped aside to let them in. The two men immediately scanned the room they were in and filed everything away for later use. Just in case. They also noted with some surprise that a woman was on a futon in the middle of the room.

"I am Souji Okita, and this is Hajime Saito," said Okita, by way of introduction.

"Niitsu Kakunoshin," said Hiko simply, using the name that he'd adopted as a potter. Tomoe looked up in some surprise when he said this and though _perhaps he has something to hide after all…_

Saito and Okita turned to the woman who simply said, "Tomoe."

Hiko frowned at this. Once again, she was hesitant to divulge her last name. Perhaps the Shinsengumi was the reason why. If they saw her or her husband as a threat then they wouldn't hesitate to slay them.

"Do you live here together?" asked Okita.

"No-" began Hiko but was interrupted by Tomoe.

"My husband had to go to country to collect some herbs and, what with rumours of dangerous men wandering around, asked me to stay here," she said, her face not betraying a hint of the fact that she was lying. She just hoped that Hiko did not reveal anything.

Hiko was very surprised when she suddenly started spouting about her husband leaving her here, but knew she had to have her reasons. _At least this way she'll have to answer my questions. _

"Herbs" questioned Saito.

"Yes. My husband is an apothecary, we sell medicines," answered Tomoe, grateful that they had not seen through her lie and that Hiko was not going to reveal anything.

"I see. Oh, Kakunoshin-san?" said Okita turning to the larger man. At Hiko's nod he continued. "We heard that you lived with a young boy. Most people can't decide whether he's your student or your son." Tomoe looked up and waited for the answer; that was the very question she wanted to ask.

Hiko chose his words carefully. "Do you really think that someone who eats a poisoned mushroom because he thinks it's 'pretty' can learn the fine art of swordsmanship?" Hiko smirked just thinking about that particular memory. Saito and Okita blinked in surprise and Okita started laughing.

"Your son, then?" said Saito, as Okita was trying to get his breath back. Hiko nodded, not really giving a definite answer. Kenshin was not blood-related but in more ways than one Kenshin was like the son he never had.

"Did he really eat a poisoned mushroom just because it looked pretty?" asked Okita.

"Yes. For months afterwards he was trying to figure out how something that looked so pretty could be so dangerous. The same thing happened with a wild rabbit we ran into once," answered Hiko, chuckling as he remembered. Although these two would probably never realize that this was the legendary Battousai the Manslayer they were talking about, it didn't make it any less amusing.

Tomoe also found herself smiling at the story. She found herself hoping that she would be able to meet this kid.

"Well, it seems that there's nothing of interest here," said Saito, who now became spokesperson since Okita was still chuckling about the boy. "We should get going, our squads' are waiting for us."

Hiko nodded and stood, following them out of his cabin.

"Well, I apologize for disturbing you Kakunoshin-san, and I thank you for the interesting story," said Okita. Saito only nodded and said "Good-bye" before turning to leave.

Hiko walked back in, the memories that he'd dug up about Kenshin still fresh in his mind.

"That was an interesting story," said Tomoe.

"As was yours" returned Hiko.

"Just answer me this, was it just a story? I know you do have a student or a son, but did he really do those things?" she asked, hoping that it would lead him off-track from her own story.

"Oh, trust me it's true. The red-head always seemed to get into dangerous predicaments. It's one of the many, many things Kenshin got up to when he was young. Some of them are quite funny…" said Hiko, smirking once again.

Then he looked up in surprise when he felt the woman's ki radiating pure shock.

Tomoe's mask had also crumbled, leaving her face expressing pure shock and surprise for the first time in years.

"Wh-what did you just say?" she asked.

((())) **Authors Notes **((()))

Hehe, a small cliffie!

I have to admit this was way more difficult than I thought it would be. It also took a lot longer! Nearly five days…sheesh. Saito and Okita will make one more small appearance next chapter, no fight I'm sorry! Which is another thing – I suck at writing action/fight scenes! I'm sorry if the fight Kenshin had with the Shinsengumi guy wasn't good, but I just don't know how to write action scenes. It might be easier if I could've used Hiten Mitsurugi! Oh well, hopefully next chapter will be easier!

About the 'mad hermit monk' thing, its something i've read before and I liked it so I decided to add it. And it gives Kenshin some ammo against Hiko to, although Hiko will probably have worse...

One small request: If you have any ideas about 'embarrassing moments for Kenshin then let me know and I'll put them in! or, if not then if you could recommend a fic that has embarrassing moments for Kenshin, it would be well appreciated!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO – **Peacebunnie, ****TeZukAb0ch0u, starfruit-22, korrd, akisu-san and MikaylaMae **for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please drop me another comment!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review, and I'll update as soon as I can!


	6. Secrets Revealed

Disclaimer: Me no own Kenshin, Hiko, Tomoe Saito or Okita. All I own are some random Shinsengumi member, Sho and Kenshin's embarrassing moments.

Contains very mild spoilers for OVA Trust & Betrayal.

You know, I've discovered that Kenshin isn't cooperating with me on purpose, just so I don't reveal anything embarrassing about him…

Kenshin: Damn, how'd you figure it out? Oh well, it worked for a little while

So as punishment I decided to add more embarrassing moments for him…

Kenshin: What? NO!

So on with the chapter!

((())) **Hiko's Mountain – Kenshin **((()))

Kenshin sighed in relief when he realized that Okita and Saito were heading back down the mountain. Thankfully, there had been no fight, as Kenshin hadn't been able to sense any battle ki. If there _had _been then Kenshin had no doubt that Okita and Saito would recognize his sword style. After all there weren't a whole lot of sword styles that revolved around god-like speed. The only other technique was Shakuchi, but he'd never met anyone who'd mastered it yet or heard of anyone mastering it for that matter.

"Kuso," said Kenshin under his breath when he realized that Saito and Okita were heading in his direction, slight wariness in their ki. _My ki _he realized with a jolt. He couldn't mask it now, it would make them to suspicious…_The Shinsengumi guy! _If he could get back to the Shinsengumi guy and mask his ki right there, then Okita and Saito would think that it was the guys ki that they had sensed and that it was lost when he died. _Sorry Tomoe, I'll be there soon, _he though as he doubled back to where he had just fought.

_Damn wolves! They're catching up _though Kenshin as he started to run faster. _Thank goodness that I know this terrain better than they do!_

He reached the fallen body and, standing right next to it, he fully masked his ki. Then he quickly glanced around, making sure that there was nothing there that could betray him. Then he leapt up onto one of the trees and, making sure that he was well hidden, waited for them, just to make sure that they didn't suspect him and also to hopefully check whether they suspected anything about his Master or Tomoe.

((())) **Hiko's mountain – Saito and Okita **((()))

Saito and Okita were walking along at a leisurely pace, now that they no longer had to strain themselves by walking uphill when Saito stiffened.

"Okita…" began Saito.

"Yeah, I sensed it," said Okita, putting one hand on the hilt of his katana. "Could it be one of ours?"

"I don't know, it's masked enough to make it impossible to guess who it is," answered Saito, already heading towards the forest.

"We're just not cut out for this," said Okita a few minutes later. They had been walking through the forest, towards the ki but, although they were actually going quite quickly, they had been getting cut and scratched by many different branches along the way. "When we get back, I'm not leaving Kyoto again," he decided.

Just when they were nearly at the spot, the ki they were following disappeared. They glanced at each other and stepped up their pace.

When they reached the clearing they stopped abruptly and Okita gasped softly. "I suppose it was his ki we were following," said Saito casually. He always took death more casually then his friend. Although they were both equal in dealing out death, it was a different matter when it was one of their own. Not that he didn't care, whoever did this would be subject to his ultimate form of justice: Aku Soku Zan. "Who do you think did it?"

"It almost looks like one of our own, but I sincerely doubt that anybody in our own squads would be able to mask their ki from us fully and besides these are _our _squads. There's no way that they'd kill one of our own without orders and a reason," said Okita, looking at the body carefully. After the last few years in the Shinsengumi, Okita was well-accustomed to seeing and examining dead bodies but he still didn't like it when it was one of his own men. Still, he had no doubt that the killer would find himself on the other end of one of their swords.

"It couldn't have been the man, there's no way he could have gotten down here fast enough to do this, not to mention we didn't sense his ki leaving the cabin at all," mused Saito out loud. "Could it have been the man's son?"

"The kid that ate the poisoned mushrooms because they were pretty? I doubt it. Besides, you heard him say that the kid was his son, not his student," answered Okita.

"Hmph. Well this is just wonderful. I say we go down and grill the squad for information," said Saito, already turning around. Okita nodded absentmindedly, pausing for a moment to leave some flowers on the body.

((())) **Hiko's mountain – Kenshin **((()))

He had just managed to hide in the tree when Saito and Okita burst into the clearing. He listened carefully as they mused about who could have killed the man. He was highly gratified when he found out that they didn't suspect him or his master. But they just _had _to keep going.

"The kid that ate the poisoned mushroom because he thought it was pretty"

_Master TOLD them about that? I'm going to kill him! No wait I can't kill him…I will find a way to get him back! Why did he have to tell them about me? Wait…and Tomoe heard to. Even if they don't realize it was me she will. Master that better be all you told them! _Kenshin didn't even want to think about what other stories his master could have been telling about him.

Wait a second…Saito had said "the mans son" and Okita said "You heard him say that the kid was his son not his student." Kenshin chuckled when he realized something _Looks like your not as cold as you want people to think, master. Now I have got something against you…_

When Okita and Saito left, Kenshin jumped down from the tree and headed back up the mountain, wondering what Hiko and Tomoe were doing. He hoped Hiko wasn't talking about him…

((())) **Hiko's Cabin **((()))

"Wh-what did you just say?" she asked.

Hiko turned around to look at her in surprise. "What do you mean?" he asked, starting to get curious.

"Do you have anything that belongs the boy? Anything at all?" asked Tomoe urgently. _It can't be _she was thinking inside. For one thing Kenshin's parent died a long time ago, for another thing the only other person Kenshin ever mentioned was his master but this man couldn't be it…could he?

"Well, yes but why?" said Hiko in answer to her question.

"May I see them?" she asked, ignoring his questions.

"I'll show you them only if you agree to tell me why," said Hiko, crossing his arms.

"Of course. But can I see them first?" said Tomoe. She had to know for sure otherwise she could risk blowing Kenshin's cover. Hers was already blown, but if she mentioned Kenshin for no reason then she might put him in danger.

Hiko agreed reluctantly, but at least this way he would finally have the answers to the questions that had been plaguing him about this woman for the last few days. He went inside the cabin, gesturing for the woman to follow him. Then he pointed towards the trunk that she'd noticed the first day she was here.

She went up to it and carefully opened the lid. At the top was a beautifully made sword that had Winter Moon engraved on it. Below that were a few gi's, obviously made for a young boy of perhaps 13. Below that were a few stones, a beautiful cup with a dragon on it and…several strands of bright red hair.

Hiko studied her ki as she silently looked through the contents of the trunk. After her initial reaction of surprise and shock, she had locked down her emotions and wasn't showing anything. _Was it the name that caused her to be surprised? Or the mention of his hair colour? _ With his baka deshi it could be either. But how would she know either? _Well that proves it. She's definitely an Imperialist. _Hiko watched as she put everything away carefully and closed the trunk. Then she turned to face him. "Will you answer my questions now?"

"Yes. Just answer me this first. Is the boy's name Kenshin Himura and what sword style do you use?" she said calmly.

Hiko was annoyed that she was _still _asking him questions when she should have been answering, but then her words sunk in. "How do you know baka deshi's real name?" he asked, now it was his turn to be surprised.

_Baka deshi?_ Thought Tomoe with some amusement. No wonder he doesn't like to talk about his master if that was his nickname. Out loud she said "In a moment. Is your sword style Hiten Mitsurugi?" Tomoe was already certain, but she just wanted to triple check.

Now Hiko was really surprised. Knowing Kenshin's full name was one thing, but knowing his _sword style? Nobody _knew his sword style. Hiko had always told Kenshin that his sword style should remain a secret and apparently the boy had listened to him (for the first time!) for all anyone knew about the Battousai's sword style was that it was one-of-a-kind. "Yes, but how do you know that? And how do you know Kenshin? It's your turn to answer the questions!"

Hiten Mitsurugi Style…Kenshin's secret one-of-a-kind sword style. This was definitely Kenshin's master. Nobody else would know the Hiten Mitsurugi Style.

"I suppose the only way I can say this is…well, I don't believe I introduced myself properly did I?" asked Tomoe.

"Well…no, but that's hardly the point," said Hiko, annoyed that she might be trying to get out of answering the questions.

"My full name is Tomoe…Himura," said Tomoe.

Hiko registered the name with shock. _Tomoe HIMURA! _"The baka got MARRIED?" he said and, for what was perhaps the first time in his life, he was shocked.

"Yes, Kenshin is my husband…why are you so surprised that Kenshin got married?" asked Tomoe somewhat amused by his reaction.

_Well at least I was right about her husband being an Imperialist. But still Kenshin got married? _In answer to her question he said, "The reason I'm surprised is because after I explained the 'facts of life' to Kenshin, he couldn't even look at a girl without turning bright red. And when he did finally manage to stop his voice from cracking when he talked, he tripped over himself trying to impress her," he said, still chuckling over the memory. He normally didn't explain himself but if this was Kenshin's wife, then this was the perfect opportunity to embarrass him a little. Even better than when he was telling the Shinsengumi since this time she knew who he was talking about.

Tomoe found herself smiling at Kenshin's antics. _No wonder he never talks about his childhood, if this is the kind of thing he grew up with, _she thought.

"So tell me, how is the baka," asked Hiko, suddenly serious. Other than the rumours Sho told him, he didn't know anything about what Kenshin had been up to. Was he really the demon everyone made him out to be? He really didn't want to know if Kenshin's heart and spirit was destroyed but he had to know. Just what had they done to him?

"You're his master aren't you?" asked Tomoe. At Hiko's nod she continued, "Well then there's not much to tell. Obviously with the Hiten Mitsurugi Style he wins every fight he enters. When he kills…it almost seems like he doesn't care but when we first met, we were sleeping in the same room, I on the futon and he was sleeping sitting up, he had a nightmare. He's no demon, Hiko-san, you can be sure of that. Katsura-san asked me to be his sheath," said Tomoe, looking at the man as he processed the new information.

"What do you mean by sheath?" he asked.

"Katsura-san didn't want Kenshin to be consumed by madness so he asked me to be his sheath, to hold the madness in. To bring him back to humanity, if you know what I mean. And, well, we fell in love and when we were told to go into hiding after the Ikedaya affair and to pose as a couple we decided to make it official and get married," said Tomoe. _I really do love him and care for him…I just can't help the Shogunate defeat him. I care for him to much. _

"Hmph. And why didn't the little baka tell me he was getting married?" said Hiko, mainly to himself. At least now though…_he has someone to help him, to make sure he doesn't become a soulless demon. _He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice that a ki was coming closer to his cabin.

"So you're in hiding in Otsu," said Hiko. It all fit. She carried around a dagger to protect herself, after all she had to, her husband was one of the most wanted men in Kyoto. Her husband's ability to 'disappear in the shadows', he snorted at that one, he'd _better _have that ability, the kid was, after all, the student of Seijurou Hiko, and her dislike of Kyoto, after all that was the place she and Kenshin were in the most danger and where Kenshin had to work.

"Yes. We are posing as apothecary and wife. It's working quite well. And all of the children love to play with him. And we're even making a garden and growing some plants there. I had no idea he was such a good farmer," said Tomoe, smiling a bit as she remembered some of the peaceful moments they had in Otsu together.

_Children? Farming, I know _mused Hiko. Kenshin had always been good with plants. Actually, the boy had had a small garden here as well. After he'd finally got it into his head that not all pretty things were good for him he'd become quite good at it. But he'd never played with children much. Of course, he was usually much to busy with training, but still. "Children?" he said out loud.

"Yes. He really is very good with them. He plays hide and seek with them in the forest. It's odd, he seems to be able to tell exactly where they are no matter how far into the woods they go," she said, thinking about all the times the children would beg him to play with them.

"Of course he can. I was the one that taught him after all," said Hiko, smirking.

Tomoe nodded absentmindedly. "If you don't mind answering one more question for me, Hiko-san," she asked.

"Well, I suppose I can answer one more," said Hiko.

"You mentioned to the Shinsengumi captains that Kenshin isn't your student, but your son. However Kenshin's parents died when he was 6. So why…" she said, trying to find the right words to finish her question.

"Why did I call him my son?" he finished for her. Tomoe nodded. "You're right. Kenshin is really my student. He was seven when I found him, but I care a lot about my little baka deshi," said Hiko, admitting something to her that so far he'd only ever admitted to himself…and that was reluctantly. He didn't add that although they were in no way blood related, Kenshin really was like a son to him.

"Did I just hear correctly?" asked a voice from the shadows a few moments later. Hiko and Tomoe turned around to see a short red-head standing at the doorway, a look of disbelief etched on his face as he stared at his master.

((())) **Authors Notes **((()))

Hehe, another cliffie! Blame Hiko, he didn't know whether he wanted to hit Kenshin for eavesdropping, tease him about getting married or just being relieved that he's ok. By the out of the above, please choose what you think Hiko's reaction should be and let me know!

And no, I didn't add a fight with the Shinsengumi because I honestly couldn't find a way to do so without ruining the flow of the story…so sorry but no fight. At least Kenshin gets to know that Saito and Okita know his most embarrassing secrets. (And yes, there will be more embarrassing Kenshin moments next chapter…)

One more thing, do you guys want me to add a chapter where Hiko finds out about Tomoe's death? Coz I've been wanting to do that, but I want to hear your opinions!

There'll probably be 2-3 chapters left (this is turning out much longer than I thought it would, but that's a good thing, right?) and I should update within the next few days. Oh and I got a 92 on my test! Sorry, I'm just really happy!

And THANK YOU VERY MUCH to **akisu-san, starfruit-22, ****TeZukAb0ch0u, MikaylaMae **and** DragonWolfStar **for reviewing! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please, drop me another comment!

Anyways that's all, hope you enjoyed and please, drop me a review!


	7. Reunion with a Mentor

Disclaimer: Me no own Kenshin or his wife, master and friends.

Quick a/n: I was torn in two on Hikos reaction to Kenshin eavesdropping and apparently so were my reviewers! So I chose the two most popular and added them together…anyway as usual mild spoiler for OVA Trust & Betrayal now on with the fic!

((()) **Hikos Cabin **((()))

Kenshin snuck into the clearing, surprised that his master hadn't sensed him yet. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, no way was he going to give his master more ammunition to tease him with, and then continued on to the cabin. _Master hasn't changed much…_he though as he crept up to the door. He ducked into the cabin silently, once again surprised that his master wasn't sensing him. Well, sure he was masking his ki, but his master had the odd ability to sense him no matter how hard he tried.

"Why did I call him my son?" Hiko was saying at the moment. Kenshin half-listened, expecting his master to turn around and start teasing him. Or knock him out. One or the other. "Kenshin is really my student. He was eight when I found him, but I care a lot about my little baka deshi." _Wait what!_

"Did I just hear correctly?" asked Kenshin from the shadows. Hiko and Tomoe turned around to look at him, both having looks of disbelief on their faces. Kenshin was sure he had an equal look of disbelief on his face. After all the taunting, teasing and general hell Hiko made him go through growing up, Kenshin was sure that Hiko didn't care a whole lot about him. But apparently he'd just been proved wrong. This was what he thinking when Hikos sword (sheathed) swung towards his head. Kenshin collapsed but stayed conscious.

"You little idiot! Why on earth were you sneaking around? I could have sworn that I taught you better than that!" said Hiko, but at the same time he was squashing all emotions about seeing his apprentice again out. _He's grown, _he found himself thinking. Then he smirked, _not that it makes much difference, he's still a runt! _

Tomoe ran over to her husband as he collapsed. "Are you ok?" she murmured, sounding both worried about him and relieved that he was ok and that she was seeing him again. Kenshin nodded then looked back up at his master. He scowled when he realized that his master was smirking. "What's so funny," he asked darkly, deciding it was easier to just stay on the floor.

"Oh, nothing I was just hoping that you'd grow out of that," said Hiko innocently.

"Grow out of what?" asked Kenshin, genuinely confused. The only two things he had with Hiko and still had now were his top and his swords. He couldn't grow out of his swords and he doubted that Hiko meant his top.

"You're still so damned small!" said Hiko. "I bet everyone you verse just bursts out laughing when they look at you," said Hiko, smirking as his little baka deshis scowl deepened. But then Kenshin brightened as he remembered something.

"Apparently that doesn't stop you from caring about me. Or, apparently, from calling me your son," said Kenshin, looking at Hiko triumphantly. This was the first time he ever had ammunition against his master.

_Damn it! _Thought Hiko as his apprentice's words registered. Why of all things did Kenshin have to come and hear _that_? And how was he going to dodge that one. Even if it was true, no way was he going to admit it.

Tomoe was looking on with some amusement. Although she had only seen Kenshin fight once or twice, he always finished those fights easily and she assumed that it was the same every other time since, other than that one cut on his cheek, he'd never gotten hurt. Yet this man seemed to be able to defeat Kenshin with one blow. And he had no fear of teasing him either! I'izuka tried teasing him but Kenshin just put his hand on the hilt of his katana and I'izuka, or anyone else that tried teasing him, just shied away as though burned. But it seemed as though Kenshin was almost afraid to draw his sword against Hiko.

"What do you mean? I suppose I have to care about you, after everything you put me through. I remember a bright autumn day when you were 11 years old…"said Hiko, with a mischievous glint in his eye. Fine so he half-admitted it, but if he played his cards right, Kenshin would forget all about it…

_What is he talking abou- Oh no! _Kenshin paled and, just as Hiko had hoped, forgot about what they were just talking about. Tomoe just looked even more amused and wondered about what Kenshin had done when he was 11 that would get such a strong reaction from the normally emotionless man.

"Master, please don't…" began Kenshin, slightly panicked. But Hiko interrupted. "Don't what? Mention in front of your wife that you wet the bed when you were 11?" said Hiko, smirking as he remembered the memory. Kenshin just turned red and turned to look at the floor, not daring to look his wife in the face.

Tomoe was just plain surprised. To think that Kenshin, who had such rigid control over everything, had wet the bed just 4 short years ago…Tomoe had to struggle to stop herself from laughing. She knew that if she surrendered herself to laughing Kenshin would just get annoyed and even more embarrassed. Never before had her mask have this much trouble staying maintained! "Um, perhaps we should just sit down and talk about this," said Tomoe, struggling to keep the amusement out of her voice. One day when she was alone, she would just have to let it out, never before had she had such an urging to laugh!

But of course Kenshin and Hiko both noticed it and for one it mad them smirk and the other scowled. Guess which was which…

But Hiko consented to sit down and then got ready to start teasing and telling off his apprentice about getting married and not telling him! And Hiko would be lying if he said that he hadn't missed this reaction. The passion, the fire, the _life _this was what he truly missed about his apprentice. The spark of hope and joy that, although out in the world it was turning into bloody chaos, there was still someone that held the old compassion and still really _lived. _Yes, that was what he truly missed about his little baka deshi.

Tomoe reached out and put her hand on Kenshin's shoulder, steering him to turn around and face Hiko. Kenshin finally looked up, and Tomoe didn't miss the look of compassion that flickered briefly in his eyes as, for the first time in over a year, master and apprentice, to all the world like father and son, truly looked each other in the eye.

Tomoe knew that Hiko had not been kidding when he said Kenshin was like his son. They both cared about each other more than they showed, both to proud and to ignorant to acknowledge the truth. So Hiko tried to hide his compassion and caring by taunting and teasing 'his little baka deshi' and gathered as much 'incriminating' evidence against him as possible and used it.

And the funny thing was? Tomoe was thinking as she also settled down to talk with the two men, she didn't think Hiko was done yet. Oh no, she thought he was just beginning.

((())) **A few hours later **((()))

Well, Tomoe was definitely right in her assumption. In the last few short hours, Kenshin had, reluctantly, told his master about Kyoto, Ikedaya and Otsu, knowing though Tomoe did not, that it would most likely result in more teasing. He wasn't disappointed.

In her entire life, Tomoe's emotions had always been hidden by a mask. Today though, laughter was threatening to break through that mask as she listened to Hiko talk. So far, in the last few hours, she had already learnt that her emotionless, famous for his deadly skills with a sword, seemingly unafraid of everything husband, fell into waterfalls on a regular basis and had to be fished out by Hiko, got sick on a regular basis, loved chasing rabbits but always got lost and had to be rescued hours later by Hiko, was terrified of girls (courtesy of the talk Hiko had with him about the 'birds and the bees'), loved making things more pleasing to the eye and in doing so accidentally broke a hive and got stung by about a hundred bees and had fallen for the oldest trick in the book: he had actually turned around when his master told him to.

And Kenshin's reactions weren't helping. At first he just got mad and glared at Hiko, with the amber eyes that were famous for terrifying men in their last moments but to Hiko it was just plain amusing. Now though, he was just blushing, which was amazing in and of itself, nobody had ever gotten that far in teasing him but Tomoe had a sneaking suspicion that Hiko had managed it often. _Well, that does it. This is definitely why Kenshin never talks about his childhood. After all what would he say? My master's main purpose in life was to embarrass the hell out of me? Hardly likely. Especially since he is supposed to be the most feared man in Kyoto._

Kenshin could sense Tomoe's barely restrained amusement and that didn't sit well with him. Why did Master have to say all of that? _As if the wetting the bed story wasn't enough why did Master have to add the stuff about the 'facts of life' thing. _It was taking all of Kenshin's self control not to groan out loud.

"Well, we should be going," said Kenshin, hoping beyond hope that they be able to get _out _of here before Hiko had the chance to think up any more embarrassing stuff about him. And Kenshin had no doubt that Hiko knew more. The man had an incredible memory, especially when it came to his embarrassing moments.

Tomoe and Hiko, on the other hand, were both thinking the opposite. For Tomoe, seeing Kenshin itching to get away from his master when it was usually other people trying to get away from _him _was just to much and she wanted to see more interaction between them. Besides, not even she and their peaceful life in Otsu hadn't been able to drag out: pure passion and emotion. If Katsura had wanted a sheath he should have asked Hiko, although she was certain that Kenshin would be less than happy with the idea.

Hiko also wanted his apprentice to stay. Not that he'd ever admit it. But watching Kenshin and his amusing reactions to his teasing was like breathing air after a long bout of swimming underwater. Wonderfully refreshing. Teasing Kenshin about getting married (and to such a gorgeous woman) made him forget about the event of the past year. And he'd also noticed that Tomoe was right, Kenshin was no demon. Perhaps it really was Tomoe that was keeping Kenshin human, sane, but if it was he thanked whatever kami had sent her that his apprentice had had another chance at living life. Not just by living through it, but actually living _in _it. And he once again saw his young little baka deshi, innocent and compassionate about what he believed in. And he didn't want to lose that just yet. Those damned wolves already had him, least they could do was give him a little break every once in a while!

"Anata, I think we should stay for at least the night. It's gotten much to dark to head back to Otsu tonight," said Tomoe softly to her husband.

"Yeah, knowing you you'd probably get lost or something, you can leave tomorrow," said Hiko putting on his arrogant mask again, but pleased that he'd get to see his apprentice sleep again. Or to be more exact wake up…and if a little help came from him then so be it.

Kenshin considered their words and realized with a sinking feeling that they were right. It was much to dark to leave now and if they did they'd get lost. And then he'd never hear the end of it. Kenshin had no doubt that Hiko would find out if he got lost. So he grudgingly agreed, thinking that it might not be _too_ bad.

"Now, no funny business between you two," warned Hiko with a smirk. He directed this comment to both Tomoe and Kenshin and to his satisfaction both blushed, ducked their head and started protesting unintelligently. Hiko's smirk just deepened as he stood up to get some sake. He never went to bed without having at least half a jug and if he managed to get his idiot apprentice drunk, well then all the better.

Early the next morning Hiko awoke, his telltale smirk on his face as he remembered last night. He _had _managed to get Kenshin drunk, much to the amusement of the woman. She had confided in him that Kenshin never got drunk, no matter how much he seemed to drink. And since he wasn't in his right senses he had, to his mortification, accidentally let slip about his search for Tomoe. Including the children. Hiko had to stop himself from laughing at the thought. And now for one more thing before he leaves, though Hiko mischievously.

Slowly, making sure to keep quiet and to mask his ki, he stepped outside and filled a bucket with water. Ice cold water. Then he snuck back inside and poured the entire thing on Kenshin's head. Kenshin, of course, awoke with a yelp and a string of curses. The next few minutes included a lot of ranting from an annoyed redhead and a highly amused wife.

But then it was time to leave. Tomoe was disappointed, she would have wanted to spend more time with the man who was apparently her 'father-in-law' and even Kenshin was slightly reluctant to leave. While Hiko may be annoying and vindictive, he was still the person who had taught Kenshin everything and the closest thing he had to a father. But he had promised to wield his sword for the Imperialists and he would continue to do so until the new era was no longer a dream but a reality. And after that maybe he would come and visit again. With Tomoe. No longer did he think he was going to die soon, not with Tomoe to come back to.

Hiko was thinking along the same lines. He knew there was no way that Kenshin would back out on his word. But hopefully, with Tomoe, he would continue to do his job but would stay human. And then, if and when the war was won, they could come and visit him up on his mountain. He could tell his apprentice off for not listening to him in the first place, and tease them both. Hell, they might even have kids in the future. Hiko snorted at the idea. Who knows, it might be interesting. Nothing else seemed to matter because for now, Hiko knew that his baka deshi, his _son, _was safe for now.

And so the 3 parted ways, all hoping that the war would be over soon so they could go back to some semblance of a normal life (although one was thinking that if only a 'normal life' did _not _include a master whose greatest joy in life was teasing the hell out of him).

Not one of them realized the tragedy that was springing forth and would occur in just a few short months…

((())) **Authors Note **((()))

I have to say that that was probably the hardest chapter I had to write. It was hard! I'm still not completely sure that it's good…I hope you guys liked it and critique is most welcome! Oh and I apologize if I delayed a bit with this chapter I had a massive math test today and my history project is due on Monday…but hopefully I didn't take to long with this update!

Thank you VERY much to **akisu-san, ilovekenshin, inuwolf04, Hitokiri Jinchuu, kenji's girl, DragonWolfStar, starfruit-22, MikaylaMae, ****TeZukAb0ch0u**. Love you guys! I hope you liked this chapter! Please, drop me another comment!

So anyways hope you enjoyed it and please review!


	8. epilogue

Disclaimer: Don't own, never will, don't sue

Man, that took ages but I do have a valid reason! Read it at the end. And yes this is the epilogue but there is one more chapter to come, info at the authors note at the end.

((())) **Hiko's Mountain **((()))

It had been about 6 months since that idiot apprentice of his had left with his wife. Sho had come up to the mountain a few times but had no more information about 'Battousai the Manslayer.' Now that Hiko knew exactly where his baka deshi was, that didn't worry him much anymore. He snorted to himself, this was the first time he knew exactly where that student of his was. He wondered idly to himself how his student and wife were doing.

If he had to admit it, which he wouldn't _especially _in front of a certain redhead, he hadn't been _mad _at Kenshin, just worried. And who wouldn't be? His student, the boy he'd taken in and considered in all ways like his son, he had fed to the wolves. Kenshin had lost his innocence, oh yes, he could see that, but Tomoe was helping him in a way that only she could. The deaths he had caused had taken their toll but he wasn't the demon that everyone made him out to be.

Hiko had to admit that he was slightly happier now that he knew his little baka deshi was safe. Which was another thing he would never admit to anyone especially within 5 miles of that same redhead. He learned his lesson six months ago. He was just lucky that he managed to trick Kenshin into forgetting about that particular moment.

But he had just been given new information which made him think that his apprentice, the so-called 'demon of Kyoto' would be rising from the shadows once more.

Kogoro Katsura, leader of the Choshu clan and major player of the Revolution, had surfaced once more. And with him, the Imperialists were active once more. Hiko had no doubt that Katsura would try to use Kenshin again. He supposed that he should be glad that Katsura had at least thought to give Kenshin a 'sheath' in Tomoe, but that didn't stop him from cursing the man for taking his apprentices innocence.

Hiko sighed as he walked along a very familiar path. A path which he'd walked upon for the first time 7 years ago…

((())) **Flashback **((()))

_"W-who are you," asked one of the bandits, the one who was holding his sword over the young boy._

_"It is useless for me to tell my name to one who is about to die," responded Hiko and cut down the men. He then turned to young boy._

_"Even if you hate these men, what's done is done. Just let the fact that you survived be your family's memorial." With that the white-cloaked man turned and walked away._

_He returned a week later._

_"Did he despair of the world and commit suicide? But that happens often. Even wielding a blade, following the teachings of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style, in the end I couldn't save anyone. It's happened so many times. An age warped towards madness with each passing day, infested with villains that I kill and kill like flies. It will only get worse from now on. The only thing I can really do is lay the victims body to rest…" Hiko's musings were cut short when he entered the clearing._

_In front of him, every last body had been buried and given a marker. And in front of 3 stones stood one young red-haired boy._

((())) **End Flashback **((()))

He had realized that day, that although Kenshin may not have had the build of a swordsman (or the name) but he had the heart of one. A heart of compassion, that sees not death and despair but life and hope. He was lucky that the Revolution had not stripped him of that ability. If it weren't for Tomoe, it most likely would have.

For the second time in his lifetime, Hiko's musings were abruptly cut short when he entered that same clearing. He stopped abruptly looking in the middle of the clearing…

There were still the roughly shaped wooden crosses and the three stones put to honour the three women that had saved Kenshins life, but now there was something new. Right behind the three stones stood another, more carefully made cross. And on this cross was a marker. A marker made of a very familiar blue shawl. Hiko drew in his breath, and then exhaled it slowly as he approached the grave.

It wasn't very old, a fortnight at the very most. And somehow he _knew _who it belonged to, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it. There was no way that Kenshin would allow any harm to befall his young wife. No way. Was it possible that the grave belonged to a friend of theirs? But what friend would Kenshin have that he would choose to bury here?

Hiko silently walked over to the new marker and, like so many years before, poured it on the new grave. He had the feeling that this grave belonged to one Tomoe Himura. And for the first time in his life, he prayed that he was wrong.

((())) **Hiko's Cabin **((()))

He was still trying to make sense of what he had seen in that clearing. Could Kenshin have somehow let something happen to his wife? That just didn't add up with Kenshins personality and overprotective traits. He was still musing about it when he sensed a ki coming up his mountain. Hiko smirked, for once Sho had perfect timing, perhaps he had more information about Kenshin, or as Sho knew him as, Battousai.

Hiko went and stood outside the cabin waiting for Sho, impassive mask in place as usual. However inside his thoughts were all in turmoil. And they all revolved around one though: Did that grave belong to Tomoe Himura?

"Long time no see," called Sho as he approached the small clearing in front of Hikos home. Hiko only grunted. Sho laughed and said, "You know, you get more and more unresponsive each time I visit. What happened to that apprentice you used to have? Or maybe you should just get yourself a woman."

Despite the fact that Hiko needed information from Sho, he was quickly getting annoyed with the man for his incessant teasing! He had to remember to never introduce this guy to Kenshin. "You had better have come here for a better reason than tell me I need a woman," said Hiko gruffly.

"Well, for your information, theres a whole lot of new rumours just sprung up about Battousai the Manslayer," said Sho casually. Hikos heart thudded, this was what he was waiting for. "Well?" he said impatiently.

Sho had to admit he was surprised. Hiko hardly ever showed emotions, apart from a flicker of annoyance every now and then because of the teasing. But impatience was definitely not something Sho was accustomed to showing. Sho shrugged it off, everyone had their secrets and apparently Hikos had something to do with Battousai. He decided to just spill what he knew and just hope that he would find out one day, whether from Hiko or one of his rumour-mills back in Kyoto.

So he began. "As you know, a few weeks ago, Kogoro Katsura rose up in Kyoto and is heading the Choshu clan once more. The Choshu are now starting to gather together. Then Katsura disappeared. According to a guy I know in Otsu, Katsura went up that way, along the path that went to the medicine-sellers house."

Now Hiko was definitely interested. Didn't Tomoe mention that she and Kenshin sold medicines as a cover? But why would Katsura go personally to see them? Somehow he doubted he would like the answer.

Sho continued, oblivious to the reaction his words were getting from Hiko. "Apparently a few days prior, there was a massive commotion, with explosions and everything. Somebody found some hot-shot important Shogunate member in the middle of the Forest of Barriers, dead by a sword wound. And their medicine seller was found just outside that forest, badly wounded. In his arms was his wife, and she was dead."

Hiko paled, so it was true, Tomoe had been killed, he assumed by the Shogunate member that had been mentioned. He took a few deep breaths, preparing to tell Sho why he was so surprised (not the truth) but just something that explained why he had just nearly fainted. As it happened, he didn't need to. There was more.

"And that's not the worst of it," continued Sho. "A few days ago there was a massive fight between the Shinsengumi and the Choshu Imperialists. It was over when a young red-haired swordsman entered the fray and apparently killed them before they had a chance. He had long red hair and a cross-shaped scar on the left cheek."

Now Hiko was more surprised. _What does this have to do with Tomoe's death? And how did Kenshin get a cross-shaped scar on his cheek? I taught him better than that! _

"Theres still more," said Sho grimly. "The origin of the cross-shaped scar. One slash given to him by one of his assignments and the other…" here Sho paused to take a deep breath. Hiko noticed and frowned. _What could be so bad that he doesn't even want to talk about it? _"And the other slash was…was given to him by the wife…the wife that he killed with his own two hands."

Not even Hikos legendary self-control could stop him from gasping out loud at that one. In fact, it was all he could do to stop himself from fainting. Kenshin…he would _never_ kill his wife. Ever. He could see it when he saw them together. They obviously loved each other and cared deeply for each other. _So what happened?_

This was going through his head as Sho left. He had to find out. He knew Kenshin better than anyone and he knew that Kenshin would kill someone he had sworn to protect, especially his own wife. So that left one choice. He would gather everything to do with the Imperialists, Battousai the Manslayer in particular, and he would find out the truth behind the death of Tomoe Himura.

Or die trying.

What he did find out shocked him, a lot more then he showed or would ever admit. Tomoe had been working for the Shogunate to try and kill Kenshin as revenge for him murdering her fiancé. Who had given Kenshin the first part of his cross-shaped scar. But instead of her trying to gain his trust, she had fallen in love with him and he with her. Then, after strengthening the bonds by getting married and living together in Otsu, she decided she couldn't go through with it and went to stall the Shogunate official, the one that was found dead at the top of the mountain. But Kenshin went to follow her to make sure they didn't hurt her.

The details of what happened in the forest of Barriers was sketchy, it seemed as though only Kenshin, Tomoe and the Shogunate official knew exactly what transpired. And two of them were dead and one wouldn't talk. All he could gather was that there had been some kind of explosion, which had robbed Kenshin of his eyesight and hearing, and he had also been ambushed by a few ninjas along the way.

The next details were just as hard to get, but with a bit of, erm, _persuasiveness_, the guy had talked. Seijuro Hiko was not the master of Hiten Mitsurugi for nothing. He discovered that Kenshin and the Shogunate official had a fight. One where apparently that official was winning since Kenshin had already been badly hurt before hand. So then apparently Kenshin had closed his eyes for one final swing and so had the official but then…Tomoe had run between them, saving Kenshin from the official…but instead getting killed by Kenshin who hadn't seen her run in between them and didn't have the time to stop his swing anyway.

It was the most stunning story of Love, Trust and Betrayal Hiko had ever heard. And his apprentice had _lived_ it. He still didn't know how it was that Tomoe gave him the second part of his scar, but he knew that only one person could tell him that. And he was currently busy.

Now just one question remained in his head: What would happen to Kenshin? Tomoe had said that she had stopped him from going mad, that she was his sheath. What would happen to Kenshin now that he no longer had a sheath? He may no longer be a shadow assassin, but he was still a manslayer and was still being forced to kill. Would his apprentice still hold that old compassion, the one that had set him apart all those years ago? Would he still be able to live with himself, knowing all the death and destruction he had caused? And the most important one: Would Kenshin still have his pure heart?

And so the years went by. Sho still came up to give him information, and when Hiko went into town for whatever reasons, he would also hear rumours about the legendary Battousai. Some of them just wanted to make him laugh. Like the one about Battousai being a seven foot tall demon that could shoot fire out of his eyes. Some of them made him annoyed and some just made him sad. (Not that he'd ever admit it).

He heard about the amber-eyed executioner of Kyoto. (_When did his eyes turn amber anyway? I could've sworn they were violet_). The one with the ability to move with the speed of the gods and could kill hundreds without mercy. Who could stare certain death in the face without flinching. Several times he heard about him getting killed in some fight or other, but he'd always reappear a few days later.

That was normally all he got until one fateful day in 1868. Hiko had just gone into town to sell some pottery when Ashana, the sister of the man who owned the store where Hiko sold his work, stopped to tell him a few words. And they were still ringing in his head as he slowly made his way up his mountain.

"_It was the battle of Toba Fushimi last night. Shinsengumi versus the Imperialists. The Imperialists won, the Revolution is finally over! But it was odd. A friend of mine said that all that was left of Battousai the Manslayer were his swords, left in the middle of the battlefield. And as the dust settled and the screams faded into the night, Battousai the Manslayer disappeared, to be remembered only as legend."_

And now only the same question he had asked himself all those years ago remained. Kenshin had kept his promise, but at a terrible price. Did he still have the compassion and the life that he used to have? Did he still have a pure heart or had all those killings finally taken their toll and he had really become a merciless demon as everyone said he was? _Did he still have a pure heart? _

He would find out the answer on a fine day in May of 1878.

((())) **Authors Note **((()))

Hey guys! I totally want to apologize for taking so long. As promised here is my (valid) excuse: I've been having a lot of problems with health lately. My circulations really down and I spent all of yesterday at the hospital and I have to go back next week. So I'm afraid I fell for the one thing mad cannot control: their health!

However there is good news to! As aforementioned this is the epilogue but I will be adding a deleted scenes chapter. This will include a sparring match with Hiko and anything else the reviewers might request. So yes this means that you can ask me to elaborate on anything in this story and I will add it onto the next chapter!

And one last thing: Thank you very much to **akisu-san, ****TeZukAb0ch0u, korrd, Hitokiri Jinchuu, inuwolf04, MikaylaMae, DragonWolfStar, ilovekenshin and starfruit-22. **Love you guys, hope you liked this chapter, please dropme another comment!

And be prepared for the next and final instalment of Dragon meets White Plum. In the meantime, please review!


	9. Deleted Scenes

Disclaimer: For the final time in this story, RK does not belong to me.

The Deleted Scenes chapter is here! And, so is the official ending of this fic…sigh. Anyways author note at the end, enjoy!

((())) **Sparring Match **((()))

_This is dedicated to TeZukAb0ch0u, who wanted me to put in a sparring match between Kenshin and Hiko. This is set right after Kenshin 'eavesdrops' so at the beginning of chap 7._

They all walked out together, Hiko was smirking while Kenshin was thinking wildly and Tomoe was worried. Hiko was annoyed (and embarrassed, but he'd never reveal _that_), that Kenshin had managed to sneak up and eavesdrop on him saying that particular line. So, after hitting him (hard) he challenged Kenshin to a sparring match. It was the perfect opportunity to embarrass him a little in front of his wife.

Kenshin, in the mean time, was trying to figure out a way to…get a draw? Kenshin sighed, with his master that nearly as impossible as getting a win. And although Kenshin was the 'swordsman of legends' he had no doubt that Hiko could still beat him easily if he wanted to. And Kenshin had a sneaking suspicion that he did. After all, Hiko was a full master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style, while Kenshin was still an apprentice.

Tomoe, on the other hand, was curious as to the outcome of this match. She knew very well that Kenshin was one of the best, if not the best, but she's never seen him or heard of him fight someone of the same sword style. And to add to that, it was his own teacher…This would be an interesting fight, she normally hated seeing people fight, especially Kenshin, but this time there was no chance of blood being shed.

"Stay here," Kenshin's soft voice broke through her musings. She glanced up at him, they had stopped at a large cliff, overlooking a waterfall. Surely they weren't planning on sparring here, what if one of them fell over the cliff? She decided to just trust them, and leaned against a tree off the side of the cliff, watching the two swordsmen as they got into position.

Then, as if by some unseen signal, they leapt into action, Tomoe couldn't stop a gasp from escaping, she couldn't even see them move! She knew that Kenshin was fast, but this…this was just plain amazing!

All she could tell that the two were still fighting was the clang of metal as they attempted to hit each other. Then, just as abruptly as they began, they reappeared in the same position, this time with their swords in front of them. Tomoe was shocked to see that, although they had completely destroyed all of the flora in the surrounding area they were both relatively untouched.

If this was their skill level…she could see just how Kenshin had managed to earn himself the nickname 'swordsman of legends'. Now the one question that remained was who would win? She knew Kenshin was exceedingly powerful, but this was his teacher, the person who taught him everything he knew. He was sure to know all of Kenshin's tricks and could retaliate with his own. And it was quite obvious that Hiko had more physical strength then Kenshin did.

Her attention returned to the two swordsmen as Hiko took a stance, with his cloak swirling around him. She watched as Kenshin took a similar, but slightly different stance. Her breath caught in her throat as she realised what it was. Battoujuttsu. The art of unsheathing the sword at god-like speed, and Kenshin's trademark attack, the technique that gave him the nickname of Battousai the Manslayer.

She also knew that Kenshin was perfect at this technique. She knew Hiko was incredibly confident, but to use Kenshin's favourite and fastest attack against him? He didn't know what he was dealing with.

What she didn't realise was, that this was Seijurou Hiko the 13th we were talking about.

Master and apprentice regarded each other warily. Or at least Kenshin regarded his master warily. Hiko, on the other hand, held a small flicker of pride for his idiot apprentice. He had improved, he usually couldn't last this long against him in a spar. He still couldn't beat Seijurou Hiko though.

The two sprung into action, unsheathing their sword blindingly fast, and, although only a master would have noticed, Hiko unsheathed his word just a tad faster than Kenshin. Kenshin just barely managed to parry Hikos and was caught off guard when Hiko then brought his sheath down on the teenager, hitting him on the side, hard.

Kenshin groaned and curled into a ball. His head already hurt from where Hiko had hit him earlier, and now his side hurt to. Just why had Tomoe had to end up in Hikos grasp anyway? This was his last thought as he passed out.

Hiko smirked as he sheathed his sword. He sensed, rather than saw, the woman go to her husband. She shouldn't bother, nothing short of a burst of cold water would wake that baka up, come to think of it that was a good idea…

((())) **Embarrassing Moments **((()))

_Here are the embarrassing moments that I gathered up, just a list I though you might like to see!_

Wetting the Bed – Age 11

Falling into the waterfall while trying to fish

Getting bitten by bees because he wanted to make the hive more 'pretty'

Telling him to turn around and hitting him

Getting sick

Getting lost in woods chasing a rabbit

First girl he met

His voice cracking

Kenshin falling into the river

Learning the facts of life

((())) **Kenshin drunk and spills about the kids **((()))

"Oww," Kenshin moaned softly. So far, Hiko had managed to give his baka deshi about 6 jugs of sake, which was apparently enough for him to fall hopelessly drunk. Tomoe thought it was hilarious, she had _never _seen Kenshin without his full emotionless mask of self control on.

Hiko only smirked and poured himself and his apprentice some more sake. Now was the perfect time to get Kenshin a little bit more humiliated in front of his wife. "So," he said, thinking about what to ask, that would humiliate his apprentice. "Just what have you two been up to these last few months?"

Tomoe nearly choked and was about to tell Hiko that they had done nothing to do with what he was thinking about when Kenshin spoke first, slurring slightly. "Nothing much…just medicine and gardening…only bad thing that happened was those damned kids."

Hiko was disappointed in the lack of ammunition he was given, but then he realized what Kenshin had said. "Wait a minute, what kids," he asked, raising an eyebrow at his drunken student. Tomoe was likewise curious, the only children they had met at Otsu, were when they came to play, and Kenshin always enjoyed it, he had never found it annoying, at least not to her knowledge.

"Yea, kids. I was looking for that Akane, to try and find Tomoe and alls of a sudden all of these kids attack me from out of nowhere, and they tripped me up and everything," said Kenshin still slurring, looking at the table glassy-eyed.

Kids? Attacking Kenshin? And managing to knock him over? Oh, how the Shinsengumi would love that one!

But unfortunately for Kenshin, he couldn't stop talking so told them the rest. "Yea, and then they start playing with my hair and then they tried to _plait _it!"

Neither Hiko nor Tomoe could control their laughter on that one, the most infamous assassin in the history of Japan, getting attacked by a bunch of kids, losing to them and having them plait his hair? That was just to rich.

And, just to add something else to Hikos list, Kenshin gulped back some more sake, and promptly passed out for the second time that night.

((())) **Saito and Okita **((()))

_Just a little something I wrote for those that were disappointed that Saito and Okita never found out that Kenshin was the one Hiko was talking about. They don't find out about that, but they do find out about the kids. _

Hajime Saito and Souji Okita were in an office at Shinsengumi main headquarters. Saito had just finished 'training' his and Okita's squads, the ones that were too scared to climb the mountain. They were currently wishing that they had no idea what a sword was. Saito did not go easy on them.

"Kogoro Katsura has risen again," said Okita mildly.

"I know. And with him, Battousai will no doubt follow," answered Saito, sitting down and polishing his sword.

"Speaking of Battousai, we have a contact who said he has information about something that happened in the last few months," said Okita, glancing at his comrade.

Saito didn't even look up from his blade. "That's good."

Several minutes later, a young man, a merchant, entered. He had black hair, cut short as a westerner would have it, and a hooked nose. He bowed to the two captains, who merely nodded their heads to show he should tell them what information he had.

"A few months ago, a little while after the Ikedaya affair, Battousai was spotted at Otsu. We knew it was him, no mistaking that hair or the cut on his cheek. My contact told me, that he seemed quite agitated as though he was looking for something. A friend of his told him that apparently he was looking for some woman. Anyways, next thing he sees is Battousai getting piled on by a bunch of kids. Then they trip him up and starts playing with his hair, according to my contact they plaited it and all! It took him a few minutes to get rid of them."

Saito and Okita could feel their jaws drop, and couldn't do a thing to stop them. Even after the merchant politely bowed out, it took them a few minutes to regain their voices.

"I-impossible. Right?" asked Okita, sounding unsure. The same thought was running through both of their heads.

Battousai the Manslayer, the legend of the night, the demon of Kyoto and the most feared man in all of Japan had been outsmarted, not by the Shinsengumi but by a…dozen KIDS!

If it weren't for the fact that it was impossible to mistake Battousai, after all who else had bright red hair and a cut on his left cheek, Saito and Okita would never have believed it.

Needless to say, they were to shocked to do much for the rest of the day.

((())) **May 1878 **((()))

_This is just a few paragraphs, but I liked it so I thought I'd add it! By the way this is after Kenshin tests him but before he asks for the final attack._

He'd changed. Hiko could see that without even bothering to sense his ki. His eyes were haunted, no matter how much he tried to hide it, to Hiko it was obvious. They were the eyes of someone who had seen to much horror. And who wouldn't look like that, after what he'd seen and done?

But…Hiko couldn't shake off the relief that he felt when he realized that Kenshin had _survived. _It seemed that somehow Tomoe had managed to continue to be his sheath, even in death. But…he was alive, and definitely still sane, but did he still hold the compassion and the life that had set him apart all those years ago?

There was only one way to find.

(((())) **Authors Note **((()))

Yes, this story is officially completed! I hope you all enjoyed the deleted scenes, they were actually pretty fun to write!

And thanks to my reviewers for wishing me luck about my health, I really appreciate it!

Thank you so much for reviewing the epilogue, **akisu-san, ****TeZukAb0ch0u, Kristy-chan, Hitokiri Jinchuu, DragonWolfStar, inuwolf04, MikaylaMae and korrd. **I hope you guys enjoyed the deleted scenes! I hope to see you at my next fic, I'm thinking about trying my hand at a time-travel, what do you think?

Anyways please review and tell me what you though of this fic and/or chapter! Hope to see you around again,

Amber-chick


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